News | Headlines
Europe adds record 19 GW wind capacity
First turbine installed at Dogger Bank B
UK Wind energy
The first turbine has been installed at Dogger Bank B, marking the beginning of wind turbine installation for the 1.2 GW second phase of the 3.6 GW offshore wind farm development, located in the North Sea approximately 130 km off the Yorkshire coast. Installation of all 95 turbines is expected to continue into the second quarter of 2027.
Europe Wind power
European countries installed 19 GW of new wind capacity last year – up from 16 GW in 2024 – with onshore wind driving growth at over 17 GW, while offshore reached just 2 GW – the lowest since 2016 due to construction delays, according to WindEurope’s Annual Statistics Report. Germany led additions with 5.2 GW, followed by Türkiye (2.1 GW), Sweden (1.8 GW) and Spain (1.6 GW). Lithuania shone brightest, adding 759 MW – a 40% capacity jump that covered 33% of its electricity demand and aided decoupling from Russia’s power grid.
The development pipeline shows that 151 GW is now planned through to 2030, including 112 GW in the EU where installations in Germany will supply more than a third of the capacity. Grid weaknesses, permitting and electrification remain key hurdles elsewhere despite €45 bn (US$53bn) invested last year. EU ministers will come under mounting pressure at the Energy Council meeting on 16 March, as potential reforms to the European Trading System (ETS) risk undermining market certainty and weakening the long-term economic viability of future wind energy projects.
Large users ‘should secure own
power supplies’ USA Energy policy
In his State of the Union address on 24 February president Trump declared that his administration plans to introduce what he described as a ‘ratepayer protection pledge’ aimed at shielding consumers from the demands on the grid created by large technology companies with fast-growing electricity demand.
Trump presented the move as a response to grid capacity constraints and rising concerns that rapid data centre load growth could increase costs for ratepayers. In addition the rush to scale up AI has strained power-sector planning and infrastructure timelines while also turning the potential high cost of electricity to consumers into a major political issue. Under the concept outlined in his pledge, major technology companies, including those developing ‘hyperscale’ data centre campuses, would be expected to secure or develop a dedicated power
supply for their own loads and not rely solely on the existing grid.
“We have an old grid” he said. “It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity that’s needed. So I’m telling them they can build their own plant, they’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the company’s ability to get electricity, while at the same time lowering [electricity costs].” The Trump initiative is a response to warnings that AI data centre demand could create significant electricity supply shortfalls. up to 60 GW over the next decade. But while it is intended to reduce costs, the plan has raised questions about how such a requirement will be enforced, and whether it will be binding. The White House is scheduled to host executives from major firms, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle, and OpenAI, early this month to formalise the commitment.
4 | March 2026 |
www.modernpowersystems.com
The work commenced in early March following completion of turbine installation at Dogger Bank A in late February. The project is being developed by SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vårgrønn. The development will consist of 95 GE Haliade-X turbines, each rated at 13 MW, with installation expected to continue into the second quarter of 2027. Across the wider development, all 277 foundations for phases A, B and C have been installed, and inter-array cabling is complete for the first two phases. The third phase, Dogger Bank C, will deploy 87 Haliade-X turbines uprated to 14 MW.
Each phase of the project is connected to shore using high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology to enable efficient export of large power volumes over long subsea distances. Power generated by the array will be transported to converter stations in East Yorkshire.
Utah’s 220 MW H2 hub nears completion
USA Energy storage
The 220 MW ACES Delta Advanced Clean Energy Storage project in Utah has reached a key milestone, with all 40 electrolysers supplied by Norwegian company HydrogenPro now running at full load and producing green hydrogen. HydrogenPro confirmed the facility’s readiness to convert and store up to 100 metric tons of hydrogen daily. Jointly developed by Chevron New Energies and Mitsubishi Power, the hub uses renewable power to generate hydrogen for storage in two salt caverns – each holding 150 GWh – for dispatch to California’s grid. HydrogenPro CEO Jarle Dragvik described the project as groundbreaking technology with outsized impact on regional power supply. He highlighted its role in decarbonisation and the company’s delivery track record amid rising demand for low-cost green hydrogen, projected to hit 5.5–10 Mtpa globally by 2030. The site’s cavern storage capacity currently dwarfs all US grid-connected batteries combined, positioning ACES as a utility-scale benchmark for renewable hydrogen integration.
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